On August 14th, Data Incubator founder Michael Li was featured on Fast Company. His article How to Get Past Buzzwords and Make Better Hires can be found below and here, where it was originally posted.

In just about every industry imaginable, companies are exploring more data-backed ways of doing things. But there’s one field that remains stubbornly unscientific: recruitment and hiring. That’s not to say there aren’t procedures in place when it comes to résumé screening. For all but the newest startups, which have basically no precedents to abide at all, there’s usually some sort of protocol in place. The problem, though, is that the typical rules for screening candidates are driven by buzzwords that seldom identify real potential and too often play to our biases. Here’s what has to change and how to change it.

FINDING BIAS AND GETTING PAST IT

The reality that hidden biases abound in the screening process is well documented, but few companies realize just how pervasive the problem can be. A growing body of research shows we make a bunch of snap judgements starting just with people’s names—and continue from there. Continue reading →